Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714MSRP$699.00 Score Details The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is a speedy, long-lasting budget option.ProsAttractive priceFast performanceExcellent battery lifeSolid build qualityGood IPS displayConsA little thick and heavyToo few configuration optionsTable of ContentsTable of ContentsSpecs and configurationsDesignKeyboard and touchpadConnectivity and webcamPerformanceBattery lifeDisplayA solid Chromebook for a decent priceWith all the talk of new chipsets from Apple, Qualcomm, Intel, and AMD, and their impact on the current state of laptop technology, it might be easy to forget that Windows and macOS arent the only games in town. The best Chromebooks running Googles Chrome OS remain quite viable, and that platform has seen its own transition to AI features with Chromebook Plus.Recommended VideosAcers Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is the latest iteration of a lineup that specifically added Plus to the name to identify it as capable of running Chromebook Plus. If you like Chrome OS for its simplicity, security, and performance on low-end hardware, then youll like the Chromebook Plus Spin 714.RelatedAcer Chromebook Plus Spin 714Dimensions12.36 inches x 8.86 inches x 0.78 inchesWeight3.21 poundsProcessorIntel Core Ultra 5 115UGraphicsIntel GraphicsRAM8GBDisplay14.0-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS, 60HzStorage256GB SSDTouchYesPorts2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 41 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 11 x HDMI 2.01 x 3.5mm audio jackWirelessWi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2WebcamQHD (2560 x 1440)Chrome OSBattery53 watt-hourPrice$699While Acer might release other configurations of the Chromebook Plus Spin 714, theres only one available right now. It has an Intel Core 5 Ultra 115U, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 14-inch FHD+ IPS display for $699.Thats an attractive price for a laptop that will provide very good performance given the lightweight nature of Chrome OS. It is not, though, a purely budget laptop. For that money, youll need to be okay with any limitations of the platform and be willing to look past some other, equally affordable Windows laptops like the Asus Zenbook 14 thats around the same price and sports a fantastic OLED display.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsThe Chromebook Plus Spin 714 looks a lot like a lot of 14-inch convertible 2-in-1s today. That is, it has a gray chassis with minimalist lines and some chrome edging that looks good and doesnt come across as ostentations, making it a rather conservative but still attractive design. Youll know its a Chromebook Plus thanks to the subdued logo on the lid, but otherwise, this could be a Windows machine as far as appearances go.Its also reasonably well-built, with an all-aluminum chassis thats just the tiniest bit flexible in the keyboard deck and lid. Regarding the latter, its no worse than the Apple MacBook Air which also had a lid that will bend a little under pressure. The hinge is smooth enough to allow opening the lid with one hand, but that makes it a bit wobbly in clamshell, tent, and media modes. Tablet mode is fine, though.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsThe top bezel and bottom chin are a bit thick, making the depth a bit more than a clamshell with smaller bezels all around. And, its a bit thick at 0.78 inches whereas many 14-inch laptops are a lot thinner. As a reference, the MacBook Air 13 is insanely thin at 0.44 inches, but other 14-inch 2-in-1s like the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 (0.59 inches) are also thinner. The 3.21-pound weight is fine, although thats a bit heavy to hold as a tablet.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsThe keyboard is quite good, with large keycaps and plenty of key spacing. The switches are light and snappy, which I like a lot. Id rank it close to the best keyboards, like HPs OmniBooks and Apples Magic Keyboard.The touchpad is more mundane, as a smallish mechanical version. It works fine, although its button clicks are a bit sharp and loud. The display is touch- and pen-enabled, although the pen is optional and wasnt shipped with my review unit. Chrome OS has okay pen support, and the touch display is good for Android games.Connectivity is very strong, including both fast Thunderbolt 4 ports, which are unusual on Chromebooks, and legacy ports. Wireless connectivity is also reasonably up-to-date.The webcam is a high-res 1440p version, and it supports various Chromebook Plus features based on Googles Gemini AI features. I mention those here because a lot of them depend on the webcam. But, there are actually a host of Chromebook Plus features that the Chromebook Plus Spin 714 has. In a way, Chromebook Plus is Googles response to Microsofts Copilot+ PC AI initiative. The difference is that Chromebook Plus laptops dont seem to require a fast Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which the Chromebook Plus Spin 14 doesnt possess.I found the various features to work well, and that includes the webcam. So far, AI seems more like a novelty to me, so I wont spend too much time on Chromebook Plus.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsMy Chromebook Plus Spin 14 review unit uses an Intel Core Ultra 5 115U, a Meteor Lake chipset with eight cores (two Performance and six Efficient) and 10 threads, running at 15 watts. Its not a fast chipset, and as mentioned doesnt have an NPU like Intels Lunar Lake, Apple Silicon, and Qualcomms Snapdragon X chipset. If it was running Windows 11, it wouldnt be a very fast chipset at all.However, Chrome OS is a lot more lightweight. Although its capabilities have expanded, including the ability to run Android apps, it remains at its core a web-based operating system. Given the Chromebook Plus Flip 14s 8GB of RAM, which is a lot for Chrome OS, its real-life performance is very good. It only scored 1,599 in the Geekbench 6 single-core test and 5,482 in the multi-core test, and those arent very good. But the chipset is more than fast enough for good performance in Chrome OS. We cant run our complete set of benchmarks on Chrome OS, but Im comfortable that most users will like the Chromebook Plus Flip 14s performance.The Intel integrated graphics arent the best, but you can still run most Android games fairly well. And thats about the limit of gaming on the laptop unless you go with something like Nvidias GeForce Now streaming service. In that case, youll get very good gaming performance up to the limits of the subscription you buy and the speed of your internet connection.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsThe Chromebook Plus Flip 14 has a 53 watt-hour battery and an FHD+ IPS display. The combination should provide decent battery life.In my testing, the laptop achieved around eight hours in our web browsing test and 14.5 hours in our video looping test. Those are good results that promise most of a days work running typical tasks. Its not as good as some of the best Windows and macOS laptops today, but its good enough.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsThe 14.0-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS display is just sharp enough at the size that text isnt too pixellated. If you want the sharpest text, youll likely wish it was higher resolution. Brightness was very good and colors seem dynamic and reasonably accurate. It doesnt have the colors and inky blacks of OLED panels, but it will please productivity users and media streamers.I cant use my colorimeter to test Chromebook displays, but I have no subjective issues with this one. The audio, provided by a pair of upward-firing speakers, was also good but not great.Some users dont need the complexity and wide compatibility of Windows 11 and macOS, but a simple tablet like an iPad or an Android tablet wont suffice. Thats where Chromebooks come in, and the Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is a solid addition.Its fast enough and has good enough battery life, with a display thats not spectacular but is good enough for most uses. At its $699 price is low enough that its a good budget option. Its an easy convertible 2-in-1 to recommend.Editors Recommendations